How much time to allow to get through customs at Milan Airport

Customs virtually non-existant unless you have something to declare. Lines are at passport control which will depend on how many international flights arrive at the same time. Assuming things go well, which they have for me the three times I have flown into Milan, about an hour or so. The problem is flight delays and what that does to your schedule.

Since there are 2 trains every hour from Malpensa airport to Milano Centrale beginning very early in the morning, I am mystified where you got the idea that the first train was at 11:13.
Just get through passport control, pick up your luggage, and walk to the train station, buy tickets to Varenna-Esino and take the next train. Schedules at http://www.trenord.it/EN/
Trains from Milano Centrale to Varenna-Esino are about every 2 hours. So you can go to Centrale early and wait for the next Varenna train there. None of these are reserved trains. As always, don't forget to validate your tickets.

Sorry, I didn't mean that the 11:13 was the first train departing, just the first one that looked like it would allow enough time since our flight is due to land a little before 9am. I didn't figure the 10:13 train would allow enough time & margin for error/plane delays etc. I just wasn't sure is 11:13 would be too soon also. We are wanting to purchase the tickets in advance. Thanks for reminder about validating the tickets!

The conventional wisdom is that you do not purchased tickets in advance on day of arrival unless you leave a lot of time. While international flights are generally on time there is always the possibility of a late arrival. Since you are purchasing on line, I assume you are buying the deep discount tickets. If you miss the train, the ticket is dead. There is no refund or exchange. Immigration is your concern and not custom unless you are taking a connecting flight into Milan. Your question is a little unclear. Are you taking the the Milan Express to Centrale station and then a train. If you are, then there is absolutely no reason to buy that ticket in advance. Or are you taking a train from the airport to somewhere else?

As Sam has pointed out, there are trains every 30 minutes from Malpensa Airport to Milano Centrale ( Milan's Central station)

You may purchase your tickets at the staffed train office at the airport or from an automated kiosk.

The train you'll be taking from Milano Centrale to Varenna ( Varenna- Esino) is a Regionale train so there is no advantage in buying these type of tickets in advance, as the price is the same, & if purchased online, they come with restrictions.

When you buy your train ticket to Varenna, make sure you buy a return ticket (if you plan to return to Milan) as you won't be able to buy train tickets at the train station in Varenna.

Don't forget to validate you tickets prior to boarding the train(s).

Enjoy your trip!

We are flying into Milan (Malpensa) & taking train to Milan Centrale. Then we switch trains to go to Varenna where we are staying for 3 nights. We thought we should buy the tickets in advance to go from the airport to Varenna so we wouldn't have to worry that the tickets are sold out and we'd be stuck for hours at the airport! It is sounding like that is a very unlikely chance?? We will then be going from Varenna to Padova (Padua?) for a week. Should we wait to buy that train fare also or would it be safer to purchase that fare in advance? We also saw that the hotel we are staying in Padova instructs us to NOT get off in Padova but to get off at the Montegrotto Station.(??) Is the ticket we purchase the same regardless of whether we get off at Padova Station or the Montegrotto Station? Thanks for all the help!!!!

To get from Varenna to the the station in Montegrotto, you will need to take a train from Varenna to Milano Centrale. Change trains to Padova train and then change trains there for a short ride to the Terme Euganee-Abano-Montegrotto station. I checked sample fares and it shows $24 euro to Padova and a total of $26.50 if you book all the way to the Terme Euganee-Abano-Montegrotto station. You can purchase those tickets when you get to Milano Centrale from Malpensa or purchase them from the travel agency in Varenna (next door to Albergo Beretta near the train station).

mag,

As the others have mentioned, there's absolutely no need to pre-purchase tickets for the airport train. It's a Regionale and they don't sell out (although you may have to stand if it's packed). This is the method I'd use in the same circumstances.....

• When you've collected your luggage and gone through Passport control, go to the airport rail station and buy tickets, either from a Kiosk or staffed ticket desk. If dealing with the staffed office, you may want to have the details written on a piece of paper.
• You'll need one ticket for the Malpensa Express from MXP to Milano Centrale (~52 minutes), and one for the trip to Varenna (~1H:03M). Note that the station is officially called "Varenna-Esino". As someone else mentioned, it would be a good idea to buy a return ticket between Milano Centrale and Varenna. You'll probably be issued three different tickets, one for each segment.
• Board the train to Milano Centrale, but BE SURE to validate your ticket for that segment prior to boarding, or you'll risk hefty fines! As Priscilla mentioned, also be sure to board the train for Centrale and NOT Cadorna station.
• When you arrive at Milano C. locate the track no. (Binario) where your next train will be departing from. The train may be listed as going to Tirano, as Varenna is an intermediate stop.
• Prior to boarding the train to Varenna, VALIDATE your tickets.
• When you return from Varenna to Milano C., validate your tickets prior to boarding the on day of travel.

For the trip from Milan to Padova, you could pre-purchase the tickets but you MUST be willing to commit to one departure time, as the tickets on the fast trains have compulsory seat reservations which are specific to train, date and departure time. If you board the wrong train by mistake, you'll face hefty fines which will be collected on the spot! There are some departures to Padova that are direct (no changes) with a travel time of 2H:07M, and those are the ones I'd prefer. For example, there are direct departures at 11:35, 12:05 and 12:35. There are numerous other departures on that route, but some have changes. If your destination in Padova is Terme Euganee-Abano-Montegrotto, buy a separate Regionale ticket for the segment from Padova to there, when you buy your tickets at the airport. Again, be sure to validate prior to boarding.

Therefore the only tickets that would be good to pre-purchase are the those from Milan to Padova on the fast trains.

I couldn't believe Malpensa last time I arrived from Australia via Singapore. It was like collect your bags and walk straight out.

Magwheels, let me help you on the part from Milano Centrale to Varenna-Esino. Buy the tickets ONLINE from the Trenitalia website. Two advantages: you DO NOT need to validate the ticket in a machine. Print out the ticket, it will have a 12 character Alpha/Numeric code and a QR Code on it. The ticket clearly states it is pre-validated. A train official may ask for your ticket, they'll scan it and hand it back, easy as that. Second advantage: the ticket is valid for 4 hours from the time of the departure of your ticket. so if you bought the ticket for 12:37, you can be as late as 3:13 and still use the ticket. Regional train so no real need to buy 1st class tickets. My 2nd class price was 6.70 euro. As someone else mentioned, make sure you at least buy your return ticket from Varenna in advance. No formal ticket machine at the small station. Sometimes, there is a young lady who sells tickets by hand to various destinations but no set hours.

Darrell

Correction to my previous post, you, of course, would be able to leave any time from 12:37 to 4:37.

We literally just arrived back in the US, having done the exact same thing you are doing. We landed at MXP at 825am, went through immigration and customs and picked up luggage in an hour. Hardest part was the luggage wait was very long (maybe 25 minutes?). The walk from the baggage claim to the airport train station is quite long, watch closely for train station signs, they are present and will lead you directly to the airport train station. Buy your tickets there. Its easy, I promise. Have you ever used a kiosk at a movie theater to buy tickets in the US? Similar concept. Validate your tickets by sticking them in the green machines spread throughout the train terminal, and you are on your way.

When you arrive at Milano Centrale 45 minutes later, you will switch trains. Note that the trains to Varenna do not specifically say "Varenna" on the boards at the train station because the board indicates the terminal stop. Look for your departure time and train number to catch the correct train. (You eventually learn that the train details are displayed in a rolling manner for each train stop, but it takes a little while to pick up on that nuance.)

There is not a ticket purchase area at the Varenna train station. Once we knew when we wanted to go to Varonna (our next destination), we simply bought the tickets on the Internet, and saved them to email. They were checked by the conductor, and were accepted with no issues-- from a smart phone.

I would NOT buy the train tickets to Varenna before arrival in Milan, that way, it you have time, you can catch the earlier train. My only word of caution is that there are many "helpers/thieves" around the train ticket buying areas trying to help you navigate the machines. They disappear quickly if you say no quickly and a little abruptly. They want to be paid for their "help." We ran into this in Milan, Rome and Florence, but they became less bothersome the more confident we were in navigating. One tip that worked for us is that we consistently had two people stand at the ticket purchasing machine, the "helpers" didn't want to get involved with multiple parties.

Varenna was awesome. In the 17 days we were in Italy, we had one of our best meals in Varenna, and our best gelato. Rick Steves book recommendations were on target in Varenna. Great first stop on your trip. People there are wonderful.

There you have it from a recent traveler. I'll add that you should be able to buy both the tickets to Milano Centrale and to and from Varenna-Esino at the ticket window at the airport train station. That is because all these trains are operated by Trenord, a private railway company. You won't have to deal with "helpers" there. These tickets will be "open" tickets, good any time, so that is why you need to validate them before boarding the train. These trains never sell out, although you may have to stand, but that is unlikely.

At Milano Centrale, there will be trains to Varenna at 12:20, 13:20, 14:20, and 16:20. The final destination of these trains is Tirano, so that is what to look for on the train board. Since the train originates at Milano Centrale, it will be empty when they spot it on the platform. It will show up on the train board with the binario number (track number) about 15 minutes before departure, so if you board then, you will have your pick of seats.